


Strange Times RPF

by ladyofreylo



Series: Real Person Fiction [4]
Category: Actor RPF, American (US) Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Adam Driver - Freeform, COVID 19, Coronavirus, Dogs, F/M, Love Story, New Relationship, POV First Person, Romance, Sex, Smut, don't read if you don't like real person fiction, real person fiction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:07:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25414423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofreylo/pseuds/ladyofreylo
Summary: Please don't read this story if you don't like real person fiction about Adam Driver or if you are bothered by discussions of COVID-19.This is a romance set in March at the start of the pandemic when two people walk their dogs at night in the chilly, deserted dog park.  They flee the city to avoid the rising cases and find love in the country.
Relationships: Adam Driver/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Real Person Fiction [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777357
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18
Collections: Adam Driver RPF Challenge





	Strange Times RPF

**Author's Note:**

> If you don't care for real person fiction, please don't read. It also has mentions of quarantine and COVID-19.  
> I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anyone or deny anyone's reality. This is just a little comfort fiction with a hot actor and an OG character.

It was pitch dark at this time of night. Not too many dog walkers were out at ten pm on a cold March evening. Bo clicked along the path in the dog park, which was well-lit and open all night. I used to see more people, even at this time, before the quarantine locked us down. Now I only saw one other person on the path.

The man walked toward me with a brown dog that looked like a pit bull mix, just like my Bo-Bo. He had a knit beanie and a scarf on and, though, we wouldn’t pass six feet apart, his scarf was up around his mouth. Mine was too. It was that kind of night and that kind of pandemic fear.

He nodded and raised a hand as we passed one another. Bo wanted to stop and inspect the other dog, but I gave him a little tug and he was happy to take off at his usual blistering clip. My legs weren’t quite long enough to keep up with his pace.

I heard the man chuckling as Bo pulled me along.

<>

I saw the tall man, for he was quite a bit taller than I, walking again at the same time the next evening. I saw him wait for his dog to finish pooping and scoop it up, dispose of the bag, and sanitize his hands. A good dog owner. That was reassuring.

Bo and I clicked along with Bo’s ridiculous long-legged stride. He was tall for a pit bull mix and walked rather bow-legged, like he couldn’t get his big feet and long legs to work for him. When he ran, he was graceful. When he walked, he always looked a little silly.

This time, the tall man walked on the same side of the path. I heard him and turned. He raised a hand. His legs were long enough to catch up to me, struggling with Bo.

“He looks like he’s walking you,” the man said when he walked up. His voice was muffled under his scarf. “Are you all right walking him?”

I looked over. “Do I have a choice? This beast needs to be walked and he’s mine.”

He laughed. “That’s true.”

Bo and his dog were nosing each other as they walked, establishing a friendship.

“Are you okay out here by yourself this late?” he asked.

I waved a hand. “No one’s here but you and I have a 90-pound pit mix with me. He’s not going to let anyone bother me.”

“I see your point. I won’t keep you.” He called to his dog and walked faster.

Bo didn’t want to leave the other dog alone and he dragged me along.

“Bo,” I said. “Leave it.”

Bo ignored me.

“Shit,” I said.

“Moose, sit,” the man said. Moose put his butt down on the walkway. The man knelt and petted Bo. “His name’s Bo?” He looked up at me.

“Yeah,” I said.

“He looks kind of like Moose, who is a Pit Rottie mix.”

“Bo’s parentage is unknown,” I explained. “A friend of mine found him in a field. He was about six weeks old at the time. It was clear he was a pit bull terrier, but the vet doesn’t know what other breed.”

Bo and Moose sniffed and circled each other.

“He’s a real beauty and obviously a sweetheart,” the man said, watching the two dogs interact.

“He’s a good boy. Though his manners aren’t that great,” I said. “He doesn’t mind very well.”

The man reached in his pocket and pulled out a bag of treats. “Offer him one of these if he’ll go with you. Use the command, ‘Bo, walk.’ When he comes to you, give him a treat.”

I almost took them, then pulled back. “Are you infected?”

His brows raised and he stood up. “No, I doubt I’d be out here walking my dog if I was sick.”

“I guess not,” I said. I took the treats. “Hey, thanks. I hope I’m not taking all of your treats.”

“No, I have more at home,” he said. “Try it.”

I walked to the end of the leash and called Bo. He looked over and saw the treat. When he came to me, I gave it to him. I heard the man say, “Moose, leave it.”

I kept enticing Bo in the opposite direction until we walked far enough away from Moose and his owner.

<>

The next evening, I saw the tall man walking Moose. I called to him and we met on the path. I gave him an unopened, fresh bag of treats to say thank you. 

He saw them and smiled at me. His face suddenly looked familiar. The smile. I’d seen it somewhere before.

He said, “Thank you.”

I stared at him, trying to figure it out.

His smile dimmed and then stopped. He put his scarf back over his face. “Sorry, I forgot I should wear this up higher when talking to people. It’s hard to remember.”

“Yeah,” I said absently. “Have we met?”

He laughed. “Yeah, here at the dog park. But otherwise I don’t think so.”

“I feel like I’ve met you before. I mean, you must live in the neighborhood. Maybe at _Hat’s Pub_? Or _Good Beans_?”

“I’ve been in both places,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s where you might know me from.”

“Oh,” I said, suddenly understanding. There were a lot of well-known individuals living in this part of the city. It might be that. “Are you famous?”

“Uh,” he said.

“Okay, forget I asked,” I said. “That was a very rude Midwestern question. I forgot that people here don’t usually ask. I heard it’s why people move here.” I smiled at him. “Listen, I’ll leave you alone. Have a great evening with Moose.”

I pulled treats out of my pocket. “Bo-Bo, walk.” Bo turned and followed for a treat.

“Well done,” the man said. “Moose, walk.”

I think the tall man appreciated me not trying to bother him or figure out who he was. He smiled and waved each time we passed. I did the same.

<>

One evening, Bo and I were walking as usual, me looking at the chilly night sky and the moon trying to peek through the clouds. I noticed Bo had started slowing down and seemed to be limping. I found a stone bench nearby and walked him over. I was feeling of Bo’s leg and trying to see his front paw with the light on my phone when I heard feet crunching nearby. The tall man came up with Moose.

“Are you all right? Is Bo hurt?” he asked.

“I don’t know. He just slowed down and started limping. I’m not sure what’s wrong. I’m trying to see his paw but he doesn’t want me messing with it.”

The man knelt. “I’ll hold his leg. You look. Moose, sit and stay. Good boy.” He held Bo’s foreleg and I checked out his paw while he licked my glove. I used the light to look. I saw nothing.

“Whatever it is, I can’t see it,” I said. “Shit. I have to get him home.”

He stood and looked around. “We’ll walk with you.”

“Don’t you want to keep your secret identity?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I do. But this is your dog and you’re in trouble. Midwesterners don’t leave people stranded.”

I looked at him. He gazed right back at me. “I’m from Michigan,” I said. “My name’s Joey ______.”

“I’m from Indiana. Adam.” He held out a hand. I shook it. I noticed he left off his last name.

Adam. I still didn’t know exactly… And then it clicked. Tall guy. Moose the dog. Smile. I’d seen the smile on the big screen.

I knew who he was. I said nothing, though; Bo’s situation was more pressing than some dude’s famous face.

I got up and tried to get Bo to walk with me. He took a few halting steps and then sat his butt down.

“Aw, shit,” I said, softly.

“Take Moose,” Adam said. “I’ll carry Bo.”

I looked at him. His features were now recognizable to me. “You don’t…”

He raised his brows. “You can’t stay out here all night waiting for Bo to walk. I can carry him to your apartment.”

I tugged my scarf down and smiled at him. “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much.” My eyes welled up with tears a little and I blinked them away.

I took Moose’s leash and we walked. I watched Adam carry Bo. He didn’t seem bothered by his burden at all. Bo seemed to enjoy the ride while Moose walked next to Adam and looked up to see what was happening.

We got to my apartment. Adam hoisted Bo higher in his arms and walked up the small flight to get to the front foyer. I opened the door and let him and Moose in.

“Upstairs?”

“No,” I said and pointed to the ground floor apartment off to the right of the front door. I opened it and let Adam carry Bo all the way inside my tiny one-bedroom. He laid Bo on the dog bed.

I thanked him and gave him Moose’s leash.

“Do you have a vet?” he asked.

“Yes, but I have to see if they’ll come to me. Or something. If he can’t walk, I don’t know how to get him there without a car.”

He pulled out his phone. “What’s your number, Joey? I will call you tomorrow. If you can’t figure out how to get Bo to the vet, I’ll help you.”

I looked at him. “You’re… You…” I swallowed and gave him my number. “Thank you so much. You don’t have to… I know it’s risky for you.”

He typed the number in without looking at me or acknowledging my statement.

I rushed on. “Listen, I won’t tell anyone I met you. I just moved here recently, and I don’t know anyone. Even if I did, I wouldn’t give out info about you. You’re being so kind to me, probably against your better judgment. No one needs to know anything.”

He looked up from his phone. “You figured it out, then.” It was a statement, not a question. He knew the answer.

“Yeah,” I said.

“The offer still stands. I’ll take Bo to the vet if you can’t find some other way to get there.”

I nodded. “I don’t want to impose on you. I’m sure I can work it out on my own,” I said. “Thank you, though.”

“You’re welcome,” he said and collected Moose. “Have a good rest of your evening.”

I smiled. It was such a Midwestern thing to say I felt a little homesick. “You, too.”

<>

Adam called the next day. It came through as “Private Caller” on my caller ID. I answered.

“It’s Adam,” he said crisply. “Did you figure out how to get Bo to the vet?”

I had to admit I didn’t. “I’ll just have to rent a car,” I said. “I think that might be best.”

“Rent my car. Call them and get an appointment. I’ll drive you.”

“Adam,” I said. “It’s too much to ask. Aren’t you busy?”

He laughed. “I’m not doing anything right now. If I can help a fellow dog owner, why not?”

“All right,” I said. “Let me get an appointment.”

He paused on the phone. “I’m not… I can’t… well, I don’t give out my number to anyone. Nothing personal. I’ll call back in half an hour.”

“I understand. I’m amazed you’ve been this open with me.”

I heard him take a breath. “Yeah, I know. I’m not this open with most people.” He sighed. “But these are strange times. Strange times.”

“Yeah, they are. And whatever the reason, thanks.”

“I’ll call you back,” he said.

<>

The vet was open for emergencies, so they were willing to take a look at Bo. I made a nest for him in the back seat of Adam’s fancy Porsche and apologized in advance for the hair that would fly everywhere. He waved my apology away and carried Bo to the car. I sat in the front with Adam who drove us to the vet on the outskirts of the neighborhood.

“Same one I take Moose to,” he commented. “He sees Dr. Ware.”

“So does Bo. I like her a lot. She’s a real dog lover.”

“Just like us,” Adam said. 

In the parking lot, the vet tech came out and I pulled up my scarf and rolled down the window. They were taking dogs in without their owners and asking us to call in to hear the diagnosis and pay for the visit on the phone.

The vet tech had to pick Bo up to carry him inside.

I sat outside not saying a word to Adam, though I probably should have tried to make small talk. He left me alone and gazed out the window.

I fiddled with my phone a bit but couldn’t concentrate. A hand touched my sleeve.

“It’ll be all right. I’m sure it’s just a sprain or something in his paw,” Adam said.

I turned to look at him. I couldn’t see past the sunglasses he was wearing for privacy, but he gave my arm a squeeze.

“Thanks,” I said.

My phone rang and Dr. Ware told me that Bo had a shoulder sprain. They gave him some doggie aspirin and a prescription for me.

I told Adam, who gave me a thumbs-up.

I read my credit card number to them, and, after a few minutes, the tech brought Bo out with paperwork, treats, and a bottle of pills.

Adam got out to help the tech settle Bo in the back again. The tech said, “Hi, Adam. Tell Moose we said hello.” He gave Adam a bag of treats on the house.

Adam thanked the guy.

I laughed as we drove away. “Scammer. You got a bag of free treats, too. Does that happen a lot?”

He grinned at me. “More than I’d care to admit. But it’s really not about me at the vet. They love Moose.”

“He’s a cutie, all right,” I said.

“I’m glad Bo’s okay,” he said as he drove. “I figured it wasn’t too serious.”

“So am I. I guess I was being overly cautious by taking him in. I’m so grateful for your help. Can I make you dinner or something to pay you back?”

He looked over quickly. “I… don’t…” He pressed his lips together.

“It’s okay. I get it. Just a thought.”

“There are a thousand reasons to say no,” he said. “But these are strange times. So why not? What time?”

“Seven pm,” I said, pulling a number out of my head. “You can bring Moose if you want to.”

“We can walk them after dinner,” he said. “If Bo can do it.”

“He’s supposed to rest, so it has to be a short walk.”

“All right.” Adam pulled up in the temporary parking space. He helped me get Bo back inside. “I’ll come by later.”

I watched him get in his car and drive off. These were indeed strange times.

<>

Adam brought Moose with him and the two of them entered my small space looking way too large to fit. Adam took off his coat, scarf, and hat. He had a bottle of white wine tucked under his arm.

I took his coat from him and hung it on a hook by the door. He handed me the bottle and I thanked him.

“I didn’t bring a mask to wear. I thought it might interfere with dinner,” he said. “I should’ve checked with you, though. Are you okay with it?”

“I’m not wearing one in my own home,” I said. “I hope that’s okay with you. I guess it’s risky for both of us.”

“I wear one when I go out,” he said. “Not just the scarf but an actual mask.”

“Helps you maintain your secret identity,” I said.

“Yeah.” He grinned. “Honestly, I haven’t felt this free in a while.”

Moose and Bo hung out, licking and nosing each other. We watched them to make sure they would be all right. Eventually, they settled in together for a nap.

“Unreal.” I turned away from the dogs and invited Adam into the kitchen. “I never would’ve guessed Bo would take to another dog so easily.”

“Moose is pretty easy-going,” Adam said. “Can I help you?” He looked around for a corkscrew. I gave him the one I kept in my utensil pot.

He opened the wine deftly and poured us glasses. He held his up for a toast.

“To strange times,” he said. We clinked and drank.

“Salad?” I asked. “The salad fixings need to go into a bowl and be tossed with some homemade dressing.”

“I can do that,” Adam said. He walked behind me to wash his hands. He was a massive individual in my kitchen. I felt like a tiny fairy next to him. He dried his giant mitts with a piece of paper towel and looked down at me while I watched him.

“You’re little,” he remarked. “I knew you were short, but your coat makes you seem taller somehow.”

“The coat adds pounds, too,” I said.

“It must. I feel like Sasquatch here.”

“Like Gandalf in the hobbit house,” I said.

He laughed. “I’ll just go over here and try not to be too big.”

We ate sautéed chicken with lemon, rice, and salad. Nothing fancy—simple but good. He ate it all like a starving man. 

“Sorry,” he said, swallowing and taking a sip of wine. “I’ve been told I’m not a dainty eater.”

“Strange times,” I said. “Eat what you want how you want. No judgment here.”

He gazed at me. “Thanks. For everything. Dinner, your friendship. It’s nice.”

“It _is_ nice,” I repeated. “Thank you for your help with Bo-Bo.”

Over a second helping of everything, Adam asked me questions about my life—and, as noted by other celebrities in interviews, I ended up perhaps saying too much, too quickly, about my own self. He was an excellent listener. I told him about being alone in the world after a failed relationship and running away to a job at the college nearby. I had barely gotten into my second year there when the pandemic hit. I was teaching online, isolated from my friends back home, and negotiating a whole new life.

Adam told me a similar story of leaving his hometown and coming to the big city. I knew a lot of the story from his bio on the internet. Yeah, I had looked him up the minute I recognized him.

He stopped speaking at one point and asked me if I already knew the whole story.

“I know some,” I said. “Just the facts, though. Whatever’s on Wikipedia.” It was a bit of a lie. I had looked up much more than that.

“I don’t mean to repeat things that you already know. It’s weird because I never know who knows what.”

“Well, keep talking. It’s nice to hear it from you directly,” I said. “You’re speaking about our common experience, not giving an interview. I’m not writing a book.”

He laughed. “If you were, I’d have to really curate my answers.”

“Not planning on writing a book,” I said. “I’m too busy teaching and grading papers.”

<>

After dinner, Adam helped me clear the table and do dishes. He put all the dried dishes away, easily reaching over my head to the cupboards. He hung up the pots and pans too.

“You’re handy to have around,” I said. “I need a tall person in my life.”

He looked down at me and smiled a little. “Glad to help, Joey.” He paused and leaned against the counter. “One quick question,” he said, arms folded over his chest.

“Sure,” I said, drying my hands.

“Is Joey short for Joanne?”

I opened my mouth to answer but he rushed on. “It’s okay if it is. It’s an ex-girlfriend’s name. I’ve been wondering because she went by Jo.”

“No,” I said. “It’s short for Jo-hah-nuh. That’s how you say it. Long ‘a,’ instead of short ‘a.’”

“Not Jo-Hannah? Jo-hah-nuh. That’s pretty.”

“No, not Jo-Hannah. Johanna is German and technically the ‘j’ sounds like a ‘y,’ but I never pronounced it that way.”

He stroked his mustache and pressed his lips together. I started to understand that was his thinking gesture. “Why Joey, though? Your name is beautiful.”

I laughed. “No one can pronounce it correctly, so Joey it is. It works better.” I shrugged. “My family started calling me Joey when I was little and it stuck.”

He nodded slowly. “Well, I’m happy to call you Joey. I was curious.”

I was happy that he called me anything at all.

<>

I gave Bo his meds but declined to walk to the park. “Bo needs to rest. I’m just going to let him out back in the patch of grass behind the building,” I said.

Not that I wanted Adam to leave. I could have talked to him all night. However, I didn’t want to appear too eager. I was trying to be a cool, laid-back fan of his—one he could be comfortable hanging out with. One who tamped down any possible hyper fan-like behavior. Just a friend. Low-key.

Adam put his coat on. “I’ll stop by tomorrow and see if Bo is feeling well enough for a full walk tomorrow night. If that’s all right.”

“Absolutely,” I said.

“Okay.” He hooked Moose up to the leash. “Thanks for dinner, Joey.” He looked at me. “I suppose I can’t hug you.”

“I thought you didn’t like hugs anyway,” I blurted.

He raised his eyebrows. “Who the hell said that?”

“Uh….” I stopped. I really didn’t want to say “some article.” I blushed.

“Stop reading the internet,” he said, touching my cheek with a long finger. “That’s the way to madness. Half the shit on there is wrong. If you want to know something, ask me.”

“Do you like hugging people?” I asked.

“I’d like to hug you.” He reached out and tugged me close with one arm. Moose circled my ankles to stand near Bo.

Adam gave me a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

“You think you’re slick not answering my question,” I called after him.

He grinned and winked at me. I heard his laughter as he shut the door behind him.

<>

Adam picked me up at my door every evening at around ten pm. We walked the dogs together, side-by-side, comfortably.

Adam gave me advice about working with Bo to slow him down and help him follow my lead. We picked up poop together, which was completely weird and oddly normal at the same time. We shared hand sanitizer and then kept walking in the dark chilly evenings.

He asked about my day, my teaching, and we talked about the quarantine and the rising cases.

“Do you have a country house to move to if it gets worse?” I asked one evening.

“Yes,” he said. “But I’m bored by myself out there after a while. At least here, with a mask on, I can walk to the grocery store, bank, drugstore, whatever’s open. Not too many people recognize me and those who do seem to care more about the quarantine than talking to me.”

“No one wants an autograph,” I remarked.

“Autographs can kill,” he said. “If the virus is on them. And people don’t know one way or another.”

“I suppose we took a real risk having dinner together,” I said.

“Yeah, I thought about it, but it was worth it.” He paused. “You haven’t asked me out again. When can we do something?”

I looked at him in amazement. “I’m asking you out?”

“Yeah,” he said. I could see his smile behind his scarf. “That’s what I thought.”

“I was thanking you,” I said. “I didn’t… I mean…”

“Okay, so you don’t like me?”

“I never said that,” I said. “Will you stop fucking with me and say what’s on your mind?”

He laughed out loud at that. “Want to have dinner and see a movie?”

I hesitated. “Listen, you’re not supposed to reveal your secret location that goes along with your secret identity. Do you want to come to my house again? I fear my set-up is not state-of-the-art.”

He reached out and took my gloved hand. “Mine is, though. Come to my house. Bring Bo with you.”

“It’s not too risky for you, famous guy? The last thing we need is for me to be the one responsible for taking you down. Other actors already have it and people are freaking out.”

Adam shrugged. “It’s okay. You don’t seem to be hitting the bars and going to parties thinking you’re invincible. I bet you go to the same places I do and wear a mask, just like I do.”

He was correct in that assumption. “I’d prefer not to get sick. I have no one here to take care of me.”

Adam started to speak, and I interrupted. “I’m not saying that to gain sympathy or ask for anything. It’s just the truth. And don’t think you can help me because I wouldn’t let you within ten miles of me if I got it. You’re not allowed get it.”

“Huh,” he muttered. “I’d definitely help you.”

We left it at that, walking back to my apartment inside our own thoughts. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, though. Adam had my hand in his, and we bumped along together with the dogs.

He bent and put his cold nose and lips against my cheek. I laughed and called him an icicle. He aimed for my other cheek and I ducked him. “Take your cold face away from me,” I said, poking at his chest.

He growled and hugged me tight while I giggled. I never giggle. I had no idea what came over me.

His nose almost hit me in the eye when he kissed my other cheek. “Oops,” he said. “My giant nose is a lethal weapon sometimes.” He touched my face with a gloved hand. “See you tomorrow.”

I felt those kisses on my cheeks all night. The prickle of his mustache, the cold soft lips, the big chilly nose on my skin…

<>

The next morning, an ambulance came and parked in front of the apartment door. I couldn’t believe it. I watched out my front window as they brought my upstairs neighbor down the stairs on a stretcher and stuffed her inside. 

My phone rang. “What the fuck is an ambulance doing there?”

“Adam?”

“Yeah, is someone in your building sick?”

“It looks like it,” I said. “Why else…”

“Pack your shit,” he barked.

“What?”

“Pack your shit. Now. I’m on my way with the car.”

“Adam,” I said to an empty phone.

I realized that he was getting me out of there. I couldn’t allow him to do that. If there was an infected person in the building, I could be infected.

The building superintendent knocked. I opened it. He was masked, so I grabbed mine. “Mrs. Langley was taken to the hospital. Suspected COVID,” he said. “Management wants to fumigate. You need to vacate for a while.”

“Okay,” I said.

Adam stood in the doorway, masked for real, not just the scarf. The super nodded at him.

“Was there a case here?” Adam asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “Get her out, so we can fumigate.”

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll help you.”

I grabbed my suitcases and shoved clothes and toiletries in.

“We can buy more stuff if we need to,” he called from the kitchen. “I’m bagging up anything that might spoil.”

I stuffed my laptop and books in my work satchel. We hauled everything to the car as quickly as possible. He was driving a big Suburban, not the Porsche. My suitcases easily fit in the back.

Adam walked Bo out on his leash with the dog bed in his hand. He helped Bo into the back seat while I shut the trunk and jumped in the front seat.

Adam got in and fired up the car. We literally drove around the corner and into a back alley. He opened the garage door with a remote and parked in a spot near a back entrance.

“You’re my neighbor?”

He looked at me. “Yeah.”

“Well, fuck,” I said.

“You never know, do you?”

“Thanks for rescuing me yet again.”

“Huh,” he said, opening the door. “You were going to say no.”

“Yes, it’s too risky.”

“Well, so much for that,” he said, opening the trunk. “I got these. You bring Bo. Then we can come back for anything else.”

The man’s apartment was palatial. He was indeed almost next door to me; he could see the front stoop of my building from his windows. His building was nondescript on the outside, but inside, it was big, airy, bright, and luxurious. He had an open concept living space with huge kitchen on one side of the room and an island dividing it from the sunken living room. To the right of the kitchen were bedroom suites. To the left, there was a dining room, an office, and a workout space. In front of the kitchen were a couple of cushy sectionals and big comfortable chairs in a seating arrangement perfect for a social gathering. A huge glass-enclosed fireplace sat between the bedroom suites and the living room.

The view outside was spectacular as well. Adam wouldn’t feel like a prisoner looking out over the street. But I guessed the glass was tinted so no one could see in. I’d never even noticed that the building was an apartment building when I’d walked by. I’d never seen anyone looking out the window and assumed it was an office. Hiding in plain sight. He’d have to move if anyone ever found out how out in the open he really was.

We finished bringing my shit inside and watched Bo look around with interest. He didn’t seem ill-at-ease once he spotted Moose and found his bed was near the other doggie bed. He located his food and water dish and seemed content to settle in.

I was the one who was freaking out.

“Fumigate,” I said, perching at a bar stool. “How the fuck long does that take? I’m supposed to be working and I don’t know what I’m doing while they fumigate.”

Adam poured me a glass of wine. “Drink up, baby. Kills the germs,” he said.

“Oh my God,” I said, holding my head in my hands. “She lived upstairs.” I sat up. “And now I could be giving it to you. You shouldn’t have brought me here.”

He took a sip of his wine. “I’m not letting you sit out on your stoop like a homeless person for however many days it takes. Where the hell would you go?”

“A hotel,” I said.

“They’re on lockdown,” he answered. “I doubt they’d let you in. Also, there’s Bo.”

“Fuck,” I said. “Should I drive to Michigan? Go home?”

“Nope,” he said. “You stay here with me. I’m almost ready to fucking pack it in and go to the country. The dogs would be happy. I’m not sure about your internet connection out there, though.”

I stared at him. “You’d take me with you? You should just go. Then you’d be safer.”

He shook his head. “If you have it, I have it. Joey, we’ve been walking together every night. I’ve been inside your apartment and touched your belongings. We have to hope you don’t have it.”

“God, if I give it to you, Adam. I swear…”

He stood up and put an arm around me. He leaned down to look me in the eye. “You, Joey ____, are not less important than I am. You’re equally important. Quit saying that it would be such a tragedy if I got it. It would be a tragedy if either of us got it. I’m no more important than anyone else in this world.”

“You’re more important to a lot of people,” I whispered. “They would be so sad if you got it.”

“But they don’t know me,” he said gently. “They have an image of me. And that’s fine. But it doesn’t equal more importance. It equals more notoriety and not much else.”

“You don’t think you’re important to the world?”

He laughed a little. “I’m important to myself. That’s about it. I’m just a guy who plays pretend and gets paid for it. It’s all fun and entertainment, but not that important. I’m not a scientist, statesman or a leader.”

He sat back down.

“You’re important to me,” I said after a moment. “I don’t mean as an actor. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying as a friend.” I looked up to see him gazing at me, looking so handsome. I tried not to think about that, even though he had taken my hand and kissed my cheek. I couldn’t imagine he was being anything other than friendly.

But friends don’t hold hands and kiss cheeks, a little voice told me. I clamped down on the voice and told myself that Hollywood actors did both all the time. It wasn’t unusual. I shouldn’t read anything into Adam’s actions.

“Good,” he said. “I’m so glad.” He took my hand and brought it up to his mouth. He kissed it. I had lost the thread of what we were discussing. What was good?

I felt my blush rising again as he watched me. “I feel like I should disinfect myself,” I said.

“Probably too late for that,” he said.

I nodded. “Most likely.”

Adam stood up and tugged me down from my stool. “Disinfecting can commence, though. If it’s your wish.”

“You’re not going to _Silkwood_ me, are you?” I asked as he tugged me toward the bedroom suites.

“No, I’m going to show you where the shower is.” Adam laughed. “I saw that movie. They scrubbed those people with big fucking brushes. It didn’t look fun at all.”

He opened the door to a bedroom with a huge California King bed and opened another door to the bathroom. It had a giant tub, a separate shower, double sink, and a toilet. It was big enough to fit my apartment kitchen in it. Maybe more.

“Holy shit,” I gasped. “This is very nice. I could disinfect well in here. For a long time.”

“Feel free,” he said, smiling. “I’m making dinner tonight. Maybe we should watch _Silkwood_.”

“No contagion movies,” I said, frowning at him. “I don’t think I can take it.” I paused. “Something nice and light. Maybe _Marriage Story_ …”

Adam walked over, leaned way down, and put his face in mine. His eyes were giant and light brown—he looked rather like a Cyclops.

“You have only one eye,” I said.

“That may be, but you’re going to get in trouble,” he said. Then he bent and kissed my lips quickly. So fast that I couldn’t kiss him back. I almost didn’t feel how soft his lips were and how prickly his mustache felt against my face. Almost.

He shouldn’t have kissed me before I decontaminated.

I felt that kiss against my mouth, the memory of it, while I showered. I wanted to touch myself to re-live it with an orgasm attached, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Maybe later in bed. In bed. Alone?

Could I sleep with this man? It wouldn’t be a real thing, just a quarantine thing—for a minute. Then once the quarantine was over, he’d go back to his life and I’d go back to mine. Because that would be the way it was for a college instructor and a movie star. Pandemics didn’t change things that much in the world.

<>

I walked out to the kitchen to find Adam being a domestic god, chopping and stuffing sheet pans in the oven. He saw me and smiled.

He held out an arm and I walked into his embrace without a thought. My hair was still damp, but he put one big hand on the back of my head. I tiptoed up. He bent way, way down.

And he kissed me again. This time, I kissed him back.

“I’m too short,” I said.

“Hm,” he said. “You’re beautiful. We’ll work it out.”

“Can I help with dinner.”

“You can retrieve our wine glasses from the fridge.”

I did and talked him into letting me set the table.

We ate sitting together. Adam sneaked bits of grilled shrimp to the doggies and gave me innocent smiles. He seemed to be all smiles as we ate.

We laughed a lot about … I don’t know. Nothing at all.

After we ate, I helped him clean up and asked about a movie.

“I don’t have one in mind,” he said. “You can choose something you like. Come on in here.”

He opened the door to the other bedroom suite. It had another huge California King bed, a sitting area, and massive TV hung on the wall. It could tilt toward either the seating area or the bed.

“How decadent,” I said. “You can watch from either place.”

“The bed is the most comfortable because I can lie here and be lazy as fuck. I often fall asleep with the TV on.” He kicked off his shoes and lay back on the pillows. “Come on, Joey. Join me.” He patted the bed.

He didn’t really have to ask twice. I crawled up beside him.

“Is this how we’re going to work it out?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. He snuggled up next to me. We were eye to eye. “You’re not too short for me now.” He bent and touched my lips. The combination of his prickly soft mustache and smooth, plump lips nearly did me in. He opened his mouth on top of mine and I couldn’t resist tasting him. He tasted like wine. He was luscious. He smelled like spicy soap and his own unique masculine scent. His mouth was warm and wet and his tongue so big that it filled my mouth. I pushed my tongue against his and he let me explore his mouth.

He pulled away for a moment to look at me. “This is all right with you?”

“Yes,” I said. “Very all right.”

I touched his face, tracing his beauty marks with my finger. He was a map of loveliness all for me. I brushed his hair back from his face. It was un-styled, unkempt, needing a trim. It was Clyde Logan long, reaching his shoulders. I supposed he’d been growing it out for the part he was playing before the lockdown occurred. He probably hadn’t had a haircut since February, maybe earlier. His hair was incredible, soft, silky, thick, wavy on its own. He let me touch it and run my hands through it— I’m sure he knew that’s what women wanted to do. I was lucky to stroke his head and listen to him purr with delight at my touch. He watched me. I watched him.

“You’re staring at me,” he said.

I nodded. “You’re beautiful. Your hair. Your eyes. Lips. Everything.”

He shook his head and made a face. “I’m average. Kind of goofy-looking. Not leading man material.”

“Bullshit,” I said. “You’re gorgeous.” I ran a finger over his mustache. He caught my finger and kissed it. Then he bit the tip gently.

“Let’s talk about you instead, Miss,” he said softly. “You’re the beautiful one.”

He rolled me over so I lay on top of him, my body pressed to his. “This hair,” he said running his hands through my dark blonde waves. “I saw it blowing under your hat. I’ve wanted to touch it. It has a mind of its own.” He drew a wavy section up to inspect it. He kissed it and dropped it back down. “And I don’t know how such a tiny girl can have such a killer little body. You’re a small package but damn…” He pulled me up so my tits dropped into his face.

He could bury his face in them. I sat up so as not to squash him. “Oh, no, baby, kill me with those. They are sexy as fuck.” He covered each of my breasts with one hand. “Look at how they fit right here in my hands. Like they were made for me.”

I sucked in a breath as he squeezed them and ran his palms over my nipples. Then he moved his hands down to my ass covered by my leggings. My ass fit in his hands, too.

“You’re made for me,” he said.

“I swear I’m too small,” I croaked out. “I…” He parted my legs and slipped a big paw between them.

“No, just perfect,” he said. “You’re not small at all, except your legs—and that tiny waist. Jesus, you’re built.”

He rolled me back over and caught my lips again. I ran my hands down his back and up to his muscular arms. I pulled on his t-shirt. He tore it off and let me touch his smooth chest. It was hard and well-toned. I slipped my hand down his happy trail and he groaned.

“Fuck this clothes shit,” he muttered. His hands were everywhere, pulling his clothes and mine off. I tried to help him, but he was very quick. We were completely naked and plastered together faster than I’d ever experienced before.

Then his mouth was everywhere, racing down my neck, sucking my nipples, licking my collarbone, nipping along my arms. He tickled my breasts with his beard, drawing sighs from me. I loved the feeling of his prickly face, warm lips, wet tongue all meshed together as he traveled up and down my torso. I pulled his hair gently, stroking it as he kissed my body.

He moved down further, opening my legs. I stopped him.

“I…” I said. “I’m too nervous.” I couldn’t even look at him. I tried to close up my legs again.

He crawled up saying “hey, hey, hey” to me.

“I have trouble the first time,” I said, finally looking at him. I saw who he was suddenly, and I realized I was completely naked and vulnerable with this man. I would never be able to relax, and I didn’t want to fake it with him. I felt stupid in a hundred ways—and embarrassed to even be talking about this.

He buried his face in my neck. “I don’t care. I need to taste you. If you come, you come. If not, don’t worry about it. We have a whole quarantine to enjoy.” He looked up. “That’s not what I meant. I feel kind of bad saying that.”

I touched his face. “We’re in survival mode, I think. In the real world, you’d be in France filming and I’d never ever cross your radar screen. But you’re here and I’m here and we’re trying to live. This quarantine puts us together and we’re trying to survive.”

He pressed his lips together. “If I met you outside the quarantine, I’d still want to do this. I’d still want to date you and take you to bed.”

“We never would’ve met,” I said.

“Well, we did and we’re here. And I want to make love to you. Just relax, baby.”

I took a deep breath while he moved his face back down my stomach to my mound. He opened my thighs and blew soft streams of air onto my wetness. Then he dove in.

He ate me. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever felt before. No localized licking like he was afraid of encountering something yucky. No, he got in there and sucked everything into his mouth and made greedy noises while he licked. His big tongue went everywhere, sneaking downward to lick where most men won’t go. Licking upward to tease the spot he knew I’d like the best. He knew where a clit was and what to do with it. There had been few and far between who actually could find it. This man could. He found it and then he worked it.

And I threw my head back and came without a plan, without knowing it would happen, without having to work myself up into it by thinking about something or pulling something or even realizing it was there until it was and I was screaming his name and pulling his hair.

And he stayed locked on, while I tried to scoot away from the indignity of screaming and being splayed out and begging him for I didn’t know what. I was on display and his lips were still there. I had come and it had been like nothing I’d felt before.

He held me down and began again while I tried to wiggle and tell him it was good enough. He never said a word, just started in with tiny flicks until I could take his tongue full on again. And then he teased until I was ready to beg him to finish the job. Which I’m sure I did, shamelessly. He let me have the full force of his mouth and I swear I saw stars and moons pass by my eyes.

He lay next to me while I throbbed with aftershocks and couldn’t open my eyes. He shouldn’t have been so good. I’d never leave him if he ate me out like that. Why the fuck was he single?

I couldn’t ask that question, but I could open my eyes and thank the heavens he was there with me.

He smiled when I did look at him. “You didn’t seem to have any trouble,” he said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been properly, uh…”

He laughed. “I guess not.” He touched my face. “It was my pleasure.” He kissed me and let me taste myself on him. “See how delicious you are,” he said, nuzzling my face.

“Are you delicious, too?”

“Find out,” he said and lay back.

I picked up his hard dick in my hand and licked the tip, tasting the beads that had gathered. It was warm and salty. I sucked the rest of him into my mouth slowly, watching his head tip back and his hands wind through my hair. I licked every inch of him to the music of his moans and tested different spots to see which one made him happiest. The underside of the head won the day and I focused on that spot until he stopped me with a short, skaky laugh.

“Girl, I’m never going to make it with that mouth on me. Fuck. I need to be inside you.” He reached over and got a condom out of a drawer. He ripped the package and rolled it on himself.

“Get on top here, baby. Let me see your sweet tits bounce.”

I got on him and pushed him up inside me with his hands on my hips to help. He played with my breasts, while he filled me up so, so good. He was huge and thick. It shouldn’t have made a difference but somehow it did because with each thrust, he hit something inside me that was good. It wound me up again and I could barely handle the sensation. I moved with him and we found an incredible rhythm together that hit everything inside. I put my hand between my legs to make the whole thing better and he brushed me aside to use his thumb. I rocked against him and rocked on him and let the whole thing flow until I found it again and clenched down on his dick so hard I thought I was going to squeeze the life out of him. He groaned loudly as I came.

“I feel you, baby. I feel you,” he moaned out. He tossed me over on my back with no effort and pounded into me. He put my legs on his shoulders to deepen the angle and I cried out as the sensation kept rolling over me.

Then he roared loudly and groaned. He thrust a few more times before he stopped to whine softly against my hair.

After a minute of hard breathing and nuzzling my hair, Adam pulled the condom off and padded away to dispose of it. He came back to lie next to me and cuddle me close.

We didn’t watch a movie. We watched each other’s eyes.

<>

The dogs came in looking for their walk. We got dressed and took them out to the park. As usual, we trucked along hand-in-hand, cleaned up the poop when one of them went, and walked back to the apartment. This time, I didn’t go home.

We slept together in the big bed all night, peaceful, with snoring dogs on the floor in the corner.

In the morning, after we found each other in bed and explored, Adam made coffee and opened his laptop. He watched CNN and local news.

“Fuck,” he said.

I came over and he put an arm around me. “What’s up?”

“I hate to be the doomsayer, but that’s just who I am.” He looked at me. “You don’t know me very well but I’m not much of an optimist. I’m always waiting for the big flyswatter of life to take us all out.”

“Okay,” I said. “What’s going on? COVID?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s ramping up here. Even with the stay-at-home orders and all that. It’s still climbing.”

He showed me the numbers. The news wasn’t good.

“I’m thinking of leaving the city before it gets worse,” he said.

I blinked. Of course he was. “Good idea,” I said. “My apartment will be done and I can go back.”

Adam turned me around. “Joey, please come with me. I’m not leaving you here in the middle of a fucking pandemic.”

I opened my mouth and nothing came out.

“No,” he said. “Listen to me. You’ll be much safer out there. Yeah, it can be a bit boring at times, but we need to ride this thing out where there are fewer people. Let’s pack the SUV and get the fuck out of here.”

“I can’t go,” I said. “I have to finish teaching.”

“When’s it done?”

“May,” I said.

“We can’t wait another month,” he said. He looked at me like he wanted to say something.

“No,” I said. “Don’t even think it. I can’t do that.”

“It’s your health, Joey. Jobs come and go. It’s your literal health we’re talking about—staying as safe as possible.”

I lost it. I didn’t want to yell at him, but I couldn’t hold it in. He had some nerve. Had it been so long since he struggled?

“I fucking can’t just quit and not have a job. I can’t just find another one. Don’t even think that. It’s not like acting. It’s a reputation. It’s being loyal to keep getting assigned to teach classes. It’s being indispensable. If they wanted me to teach on campus and put myself in harm’s way, I’d have to do it so I keep getting classes. If I don’t have classes to teach, I don’t survive.” I was yelling and crying.

“Whoa,” he said.

“No, don’t ‘whoa’ me. You’re all set. You’ve got it made. I don’t.”

He stood up to his full height and shouted back at me. “I’m not fucking all set, Joey. I have to work, too, or I won’t ever work again. It’s the same for me. I have to show up and not make trouble and do my job when they tell me to and do exactly what they say no matter how uncomfortable or awful. Fuck. It’s exactly the same. I can’t work right now and it’s making me crazy. Do you understand that?”

“Yes,” I shouted. “And I’m working. I have to work. Do you understand that?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. He put his hands on his hips and breathed like a dragon.

“Yes,” he said and raked his hand through his hair. “If I can get you solid internet out there, will you go?”

I nodded.

“We could still make trips back here if you needed to come for some reason. But we’ll both be safer out in the country.”

I plucked at the handle of my coffee cup. “I know we will. And when it’s all done, we can come back.”

He leaned in and kissed me. “Yes. I’ll have to go to France or Ireland to film when it’s all done.”

It hurt to hear it. 

I realized suddenly I was in too deep. After one fucking night with this man, I was in too deep. I shouldn’t go to the country with him. I closed my eyes.

“Joey?” He took my hand. “Don’t back out now. Don’t do it. You need to be safe.”

I looked at him. “Who’s going to keep me safe from you?”

Adam didn’t have an answer for that. He just kissed me again. “I’m right here.”

<>

We packed up the dogs and drove away from the city. The country house was as beautiful as the city apartment with a big stone fireplace and comfy rooms. It had a big farmhouse kitchen with no food in it. Adam got on his phone and called someone to ask for grocery delivery.

The bedrooms were equally plush with large beds and excellent, if rather masculine, furniture throughout. The entire décor was built around cream, gray, dark wood, and hints of cobalt blue here and there.

The dogs happily ran around outside within a giant fenced area. Adam showed me the garage and walking paths winding through fields and small groves of trees. The estate was fenced and secure. It was all his.

The gate buzzed and Adam opened it to allow a truck to drive up. Adam put on a mask and the fellow in the truck had on one as well. I grabbed mine, too, and followed Adam out to the truck. The dogs came over to bark and inspect the new individual. 

Warren wasn’t afraid and patted the two eagerly. “Well, Adam, looks like you have one more dog here. He’s a handsome one.”

Adam petted Bo. “He’s only part mine. He belongs to Joey here. Joey, this is Warren. He helps me out when I’m in town.”

Warren nodded at me. “I’d shake your hand but with this pandemic business…” He let his thought trail off.

“Same here,” I said.

Warren and Adam carried the bags into the kitchen. I started putting items away. The dogs danced around under everyone’s feet until Adam told both of them to go lay down. Even Bo obeyed the tone of voice, though he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Moose went to his dog bed and Bo followed him.

I looked at Adam, who stood hands on hips, talking to Warren through his mask. He was the alpha of the pack. No doubt. I didn’t know how I ended up out here at his house. With any other man, I would have run back to my apartment without a thought. But here I was in the country, not knowing what we were doing. Not knowing when I would go back to the city or whether the internet would work here.

Adam said he was working on that problem next. And, for some reason, I let him take over. I never did that. I never let anyone talk me into things or make things work for me. DIY Joey, that was always me, ever since I was a little girl. I’d solve the problem. I’d figure everything out. Once this big man walked into my life, I started allowing him to help me—and I had no idea why.

I watched Adam say goodbye to Warren and thought about how competent he had to be to do everything he did. Adam left a small town twice, got himself into and out of the military, worked his way into a top acting school and did whatever it took to be excellent at his craft. Then he worked hard to get into a position where he could call the shots in his career. He’d had set-backs, but he’d worked around them or through them. He didn’t let anything stop him.

Well, neither did I. If he wanted to get me better internet so I could work out here and be safe, so be it. When he went back to work, I’d move on with my life, like I always did.

Like I always did.

<>

Adam didn’t really take no for an answer anyway. I didn’t have the best connection for teaching, but I could make it work more or less. I told him so. He gave me a dark look. He wasn’t satisfied.

“You can’t take on the whole of _Verizon_ ,” I said, as he talked to his assistant Kevin yet again, trying to find something that would work.

He turned those whiskey brown eyes on me. They were quite fierce in the light from the window. “Watch me.”

“Adam,” I said.

“No, really, they should have better coverage out here.”

“Why not ask them to put up another satellite,” I said, trying to boost the signal with my phone.

“Don’t fuck with me, Joey. That’s next on my list.” He stomped around the kitchen table and yanked a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. He cracked it open and took a long drink.

“Yes, yes. Hello, I’m Adam Driver and I need more satellites,” I muttered.

He came up behind me and tried to bite my neck. “Are you making fun of me?”

I scrunched up my neck. “Only a little.”

He turned my kitchen chair around. “I’m doing this for you so you can teach. And so you don’t run away back to the city. And you don’t have to quit a job that pays you shit wages.”

“We can’t all be million-dollar actors, my friend.”

He pulled out another chair and pulled me on his lap. “I’m not your friend or a million-dollar actor. I’m your lover and your protector.” He kissed me. “You want to teach, I’ll make it work.”

“God, I know you will,” I said, patting his chest. “You can move mountains. But it’s okay. The internet is working well enough to get by. When we go back, I’ll find a summer job that doesn’t involve internet. There are no classes to teach in June anyway.”

He stared at me. “You need a summer job?”

“I need to pay rent and shit like that, Skippy.”

“AITAF might be hiring.”

I poked him. “That’s a conflict of interest. No, sir. You can’t get me a job at your nonprofit.”

“Why not?” He frowned. “What the fuck does it matter?”

“Because,” I replied in a long-suffering tone. “When we go back to normal and you go to France or Ireland, I’m still not a million-dollar actor. I have to work and make a living.”

He gazed at me. “You won’t let me take care of you.”

“No,” I said. “You might get tired of me and I’m out. I would have no continuous job history. I need it to keep going after we go our separate ways.”

He dumped me off his lap and gave me a swat. “I heartily wish you wouldn’t say that all the damn time.” He stalked away. “I’m planning our garden. Want to take a look?”

“Sure.” I followed him outside.

He gave me the side-eye while explaining his plan for growing veggies. It was a wonderful dream, but I wondered whether I’d see anything grow.

<>

Later, I found Adam growling on the phone. He was pacing back and forth in the living room. He stopped suddenly.

“Yes.” He stood in front of me. “Yes, that’s it. Thank you.” He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “I’m Adam Driver and I need another satellite. You mock me, but I got you an internet booster. It’s coming to the house day after tomorrow. Ha.” He bent down and picked me up. He whirled me around. “Don’t doubt me, little girl. I got your back.”

I smiled at my get-it-done man. “My hero,” I said. He carried me to the bedroom to celebrate his victory.

I kept teaching my four classes, prepping and grading papers during the day, while Adam found projects to keep himself busy. He had complained of boredom in the country before we arrived but didn’t seem fazed by the ongoing isolation. The dogs went with him wherever he wandered.

Adam became even more invested in gardening. He put his hair up in a man-bun and stuck an old grimy baseball cap on his head and messed around outside, digging up patches of dirt. I made him wear sunscreen and brought him lemonade when I thought he looked too tired. He obviously enjoyed the intense physical work and the dogs loved being outside with him. 

We went for long walks all over the property after I finished up for the day. As the weather warmed, Adam worked on a motorcycle he had stashed in the garage and stuck me on the back to take rides. It was fun to go flying down back roads in the evenings. I never feared rides with Adam at the helm. He was an excellent driver.

Even when I wasn’t at my best, Adam was a good partner—and, as I came to understand, an all-around good man. I was falling in love with him. He so enjoyed being out here, working outside, playing with the dogs, reading books, and hanging out. Things were easy when there wasn’t much stress. It seemed like a dream come true.

One evening, I felt crampy and headachy from my period. Adam lay in bed looking at seedlings online and planning what to plant where. He patted me every so often and checked on my status while chatting. He talked about purchasing plants from the market in a nearby town. 

“Are people selling seedlings?” I asked, shifting my hot pad a little. I hated using it when the weather was warm but not much else helped.

“Warren says they are. I can send him to grab some for us.” He paused and took my hand to kiss it. “We can plant together… when you’re feeling okay. Hey, you want an orgasm to relieve the cramps?”

I looked over at him. He was completely serious. “I don’t know if I’m up to it.”

“All right,” he said and went back to his seedlings. 

“Do you need an orgasm?” I asked him.

“Not if you don’t feel like it. I’m good,” he said. “I can wait.” He leaned over to kiss me. “We’ll have sex soon, baby.”

I had to laugh a little. He had described himself in an interview with Stephen Colbert quite inadvertently. He was himself understanding, gentle, and tall.

“What?” he asked, smiling at me.

I told him my thought. He laughed out loud. “Oh, I was just bullshitting.” He leaned over and kissed me. “I’m glad you think so, though.”

I found myself wishing for the whole package. Wishing for him to be mine.

<>

I think we both almost forgot Adam was famous. He was so excited about planting that he corralled me into driving to the farm market to buy the seedlings ourselves. We masked up when we got there and wandered around, cash in hand to pick out plants. Adam talked to the farmers, gathering tips on planting.

Then someone recognized him, even though he was masked with a hat and sunglasses on. A young guy and some friends figured it out. They circled Adam and asked for selfies and autographs—and not one of the little fuckers had masks on. Adam was without security and blindsided. He shot me a rather desperate look. Before I taught college, I taught high school for a hot minute and these kids about the same age.

I stepped in without a second thought. “Hey, kids,” I said in my best teacher voice. “You need to back up, since you aren’t wearing masks. Please and thank you.”

They gaped at me. I snapped my fingers. “Back it up, please. Where are your families?”

“Uh,” one older kid said. “Over there. At least those are mine.”

I pulled off my sunglasses and glared at the next kid. “Yours are where?”

He pointed off beyond the first set of people. 

“Who else?”

A girl said, “Mine are inside.”

The others mumbled and shuffled.

“All right.” I looked around at each of them, making direct eye contact. “Now, look, you can have a group photo if you find some masks. Otherwise, not so much. Come back in five with masks and I’ll take a group photo on someone’s phone.” I pulled out hand sanitizer. “Who needs a squirt?”

They all lined up like docile sheep and wandered off to ask for masks.

Adam stood staring at me through his glasses.

“Buy your shit,” I said. “Get as much as you can before they come back so we can go after the photo.”

Some of the parents came back with the kids. I took a couple of group photos to maintain at least some social distancing. 

After we were finished, I handed phones back and wished everyone safety and health. Adam did the same and we left waving and fielding invitations to dinner.

Adam drove out of the parking lot in record time. He yanked off his mask when we got on the main road.

“What the fuck just happened?”

“You were outed by children,” I said. “And almost mobbed.”

“Thank fuck you were there,” he said. “I was shitting myself.” He shot me a look. “How the hell did you do that?”

“Teacher voice,” I said. “Never underestimate the power of an adult who believes she’s in charge.”

He laughed. “Then why can’t you make Bo-Bo mind you?”

“Fuck if I know,” I replied.

<>

The virus numbers went down, and I turned in my final grades. 

We didn’t talk about going back to the city. I paid for my apartment with the last check I got from the college. Adam wouldn’t take money from me for food or utilities, so I had enough to get one more month in before I had to get another job to pay rent.

I didn’t want to be this person, but I had to bring it up. I had to find a job. I had to go back to the city.

I told Adam after dinner, before he settled in with a book.

“Are you unhappy, Joey?” he asked solemnly. His eyes were shadowed, and he looked pained.

“No, not at all. But even with you paying for just about everything, I’m running out of money to pay for my apartment. I have to find a job.”

He looked at me. “Who is hiring in this pandemic?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “But things are opening up a little more. We’re in Phase 3.”

“Baby,” he began. “Either let the apartment go or, if you can’t do that, I’ll pay for it until you get back to teaching.”

I looked down. “I feel bad doing that.”

“Which one?”

“Either one.”

He scooted over and tucked me under his arm. “We seem to be together here. Why maintain another apartment? I figure when this is over, we move back into my place.” He tilted my chin up. “You still afraid we aren’t going to make it together?”

I nodded. “Kind of. Is our being together only based on the quarantine?”

“So what if it is?”

I thought about that. “Things are never going back to the way they were before the pandemic. Is that what you’re saying?”

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I have projects in the works. I have no idea how those films will get made if none of us can be on set without masks.”

I realized he might be scared, maybe as frightened as I was, that his career was over, that nothing would go back to what it used to be.

I snuggled in closer. “We’ll make it work. Don’t pay for an apartment that I’m not using. I’ll call and drop my lease. If we’re careful, we can live on what you have in the bank and what I earn, meager though it may be.”

His big hand stroked my hair. “Shit. I hope it won’t come to that. Adam Driver returns to work at fucking Target.” He was seriously concerned.

I looked up at him blinking away a few tears. “It’s not going to come to that. Movies will open up again eventually.” I hugged him tightly. “You’re growing food for us. I’ll learn how to freeze and can and all that pioneer shit. Let’s just stay here and do that right now. I’ll still be teaching online in the fall.”

He kissed my face and my lips. I kissed him back and we held each other tight.

“I love you, Joey,” he whispered into my hair. “I’ll always take care of you.”

I buried my face in his shoulder. “I love you, too. So much. And I’m so afraid it will all go away. In other times, you wouldn’t…”

“Don’t say that,” he interrupted. “You don’t know that. You act like if I met you before, I would’ve shunned you or not wanted to go out with you. That’s not true.”

“I was in the audience for _Burn This_ and _Saturday Night Live_ ,” I said. “I went to see you.” I’d never told him that before. “Of course, I didn’t meet you. You’re too far out of my league.”

He gazed at me. “Not on purpose. I didn’t set myself up to be out of anyone’s league, whatever that means. It’s not my fault that my career took off. I never asked to be famous.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m just saying that it sometimes feels so ephemeral because under ordinary circumstances…”

“I walked Moose at ten at night and you walked Bo at the same time. Virus or no virus, we walked our dogs. You don’t think we would’ve met?”

“You were supposed to be in France and you probably would’ve taken Moose with you or had a fucking dogsitter who walked him. Either way, you wouldn’t have been around to do it. The only reason we met was because you suddenly had time to walk him yourself.”

Adam sat looking into space. “Then I guess I’m lucky there was a pandemic and I got to meet you. Strange times. Maybe it’s the only good thing to come out of this mess.”

“Why were you single?” I asked softly.

He gave me the side-eye. “Who said I was single?”

I gaped at him. “What?” I crawled up on his lap. “What the fuck?”

He laughed and swatted my behind. “I dropped her when I met you. We weren’t in the same place anyway. She wanted to come to the city but when it came down to actually doing it, she backed away. She felt too uncomfortable to leave her home. Our relationship was barely there, anyway. I told her not to bother. I met someone.” He looked at me. “I think she might have been relieved.”

My mouth was hanging open. I snapped it shut. “You dropped someone for me?”

“Yeah.” He scratched his chin. He’d trimmed that nutty, out-of-control beard thing earlier and it was itching him. “I would’ve done that even without the pandemic. I really wanted you badly.”

“What? Why?” I asked.

“I think it was the hat with the little fuzzy ball on top.” He smiled and stroked my hair. “And Bo dragging you along. I don’t know. You’re adorable and so full of life. You make me smile with your big brown eyes and your pretty hair. Damn, I was gone every time I looked at you. Just fucking out of my mind.”

“I had no idea who you were,” I said. “I kept thinking of you as tall man with dog.”

“I played that role one time. Tall man with dog.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Adam. You never had a bit part in your whole life,” I snorted. “You were always the star of whatever play or movie or TV show you were in.”

He smiled at me. “I only want to be the star in your life, baby. That’s what makes me happy.”

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The garden grew, the dogs flourished, and we didn’t return to the city, even as the numbers dropped. Too many people flouted the warnings and Adam didn’t want to risk it, especially since we had everything we needed right there.

Every night, around ten pm, we took the dogs for a walk, even though the two practically lived outdoors, snoozing on the screened-in porch, trying to catch bees in the yard, or overseeing their owners pulling weeds in the garden. We didn’t need leashes. They followed us everywhere we went, running off to sniff something and coming back to continue the stroll. I held Adam’s huge hand and remembered the moment when he’d first taken my gloved hand in late March. It had only been a couple of months, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. We walked with our own thoughts, not needing to talk.

“You know there’s a courthouse out here that’d probably do it,” Adam said out of nowhere. “I’ll get Kevin to check it out.”

I looked at him but couldn’t see him that well in the dark. “What’re you talking about?”

“Marrying you,” he said. “We could do it here, you know.”

I was speechless for a moment and we kept walking. “Are you sure?” I asked after finding my voice.

“Yep. What about you? Would you be my wife? I love you so very much. You’re the only woman for me. You’re the person I want to spend my life with.” He stopped talking for a second. “Hey, if I’d known you were around at _SNL_ or _Burn This_ , I’d have run off with you then. But somehow you didn’t meet me and so I’m having to play catch up here.”

I laughed and threw myself at him. He caught me and swung me around. “Yes, yes, yes!” I hollered into the night. “I love you so very much. I want to spend my life with you, too. I’ll even let you help me with some things. And I’ll support you in everything you do. You know that.”

Adam held me up for kisses. I wrapped my legs around his waist. “I know you will. You almost never need my help, baby; shit, I have to fucking force it on you. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met in my life. I’m going to put you in charge of security and let you use your teacher voice on everybody.”

I swatted his arm and he put me down. We turned and started walking back home.

“I’m an idiot. Maybe I should’ve done a better proposal,” he mumbled to himself. “I could’ve gotten down on one knee at least.”

“Out here? It’s muddy. Don’t…”

He dropped to one knee in the mud.

“Adam,” I said, tugging at his arm. “Your proposal was excellent. I accept.”

He took my hand in his. “Johanna _____, would you marry me for better or for worse? When I’m a shit and when I’m good? When we’re mad and when we’re happy? Which I will work on forever. Making us happy, that is.”

I kissed both his hands and put my nose against his. “Again, I say yes. You’re the only man for me. We can both work on making us happy.”

He got up, called the dogs, and we walked on home, hand in hand.

00


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